The present invention relates in general to candles, and in particular to a new and useful candle with a heat barrier which is partly or entirely clear or transparent, and a medium outside the barrier which is clear or transparent and which either contains one or more decorative items, or is free of everything but the medium.
The clear medium and a wax or wax-like fuel material for burning which is inside the barrier, may be any one of a variety of clear waxes or wax-substitutes such as one of the ester-terminate polyamides (ETPA) disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,570 to Pavlin, et al. issued Dec. 7, 1999 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,657 to Pavlin, et al. issued Jul. 21, 1998, which are both incorporated here by reference. An example is a product know by the trademark UNICLEAR for an ETPA sold by the owner of these patents.
Also see U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,089 to Elsamaloty for another clear candle materiel which can be used for the present invention.
Also see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/516,140, filed Mar. 1, 2000 and entitled PRODUCTS WITH ETPA-BASED ICONS, owned by the assignee of the subject application and also incorporated here by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,354,343 to Webber et al. discloses a shield or barrier made of non-flammable metal or plastic material that is opaque or transparent and that is inserted into the body is of a large diameter candle. A particular plastic that is disclosed for use is ethyl cellulose and similar compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,711 to Bryant discloses a pillar candle having a glass cup supporting a combustible portion of the candle inside a cylinder of insulating material and a second, larger cylinder of glass. The glass cylinder is embedded in an outer body of candle material. The glass cup does not extend the entire depth of the pillar candle. The insulating and glass cylinders are covered by a thin layer of candle material to hide them from view. The rim of the glass cup is visible on the top of the candle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,233 to Karp teaches a pillar candle having an outer shell of wax, an intermediate cylindrical layer of transparent wax and potpourri and an inner core comprising a combustible candle with a wick. The inner core has a sufficiently large diameter that the intermediate and outer layers do not melt or burn. The candle of Karp does not include a barrier.
Patents teaching patterns illuminated by candle flames include U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,460 to Tellier for a clear wax candle having an optical lens. In one embodiment of the candle, a lens insert made of wax is positioned in the candle below the wick which can be used to project an image and diffuse light from the candle flame. When the exposed surfaces of the lens cavity are pigmented, a pattern can be generated which reflects onto the outer surface of the candle.
U.S. Pat. No. 589,173 to Henke teaches a toy having a pattern cylinder with pattern openings that permit light from a candle burning inside the pattern cylinder to pass through onto spaced screens mounted on an outer frame. Heat rising from the candle is used to turn the pattern cylinder on an axis about the candle, so that the images formed by the pattern openings will move across the screens. The candle is a simple taper candle with a large air space between the candle and the pattern cylinder. The screens are also separated from the pattern cylinder by a gap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,711 to Bryant discloses a reusable candle having surface ornamentation which is illuminated by the candle flame. The candle has a glass insert holding a core candle with a wick. The candle body is made of clear, undyed and unpigmented wax. The surface ornamentation is inscribed on the outermost surface of the candle body and illuminated from the candle flame passing through the candle body. The surface ornamentation is always visible.
A lampshade having a hidden image when the light source it is near is turned off is covered by U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,725 to Ireland-Stacy. A design or pattern is held between inner and outer layers of the lampshade to hide the design when the shade is not being illuminated.
A candle having a non-combusting light source, such as a light bulb, inside the candle for illuminating the candle is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,702 to Andeweg. The bottom of the candle is hollowed out and replaced with a light source. In one embodiment a clear sheath is inserted into the hollow. The sheath is disclosed as possibly having special light distributing or filtering qualities for light emanating from a light source contained therein.
A safety night light having a metal shield embedded in a glass container for a candle is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,315,803 to Lipari. The metal shield can have a pattern such as a mesh or honeycomb or spaced holes which light from the candle flame can pass through. The shield is a layer between the surfaces of the glass holder; the only candle material present is the candle inside the glass holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,981 to Gaspard teaches a candle having a design painted on the outer surface of a container which is illuminated by the candle flame inside the container. A disposable mailing tube for the candle is also provided which may have a similar design to that on the candle container. The mailing tube is discarded before using the candle.
Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,957 to Wright, Sr. for a candle made of an opaque wax which turns transparent when it melts. A disk with a design is placed just below the top surface of the candle around the wick, so that when the top layer of wax is heated by the candle flame, the disk is revealed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,210, issued Mar. 7, 2000, on an application filed Jun. 21, 1999, discloses a candle with a wax core and surrounding gel components in a clear mineral oil gel, but no barrier around the core. The applicant for the present application reserves her right to swear behind U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,210, if needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,552 to Chang discloses a candle having a central core, an outer wax shell with wax decorative items embedded in the shell and a differential melting point between the shell material at a lower melting point and the core and items in the shell material at a higher melting point.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,366 to Moore discloses a core candle surrounded by scented chips.
An object of the present invention is to provide a pillar or jar candle having a flame barrier that is at least partly clear and which fits around a core of the candle and having a wick therein so that the core material can be burned. The barrier and core candle are surrounded by an outer solid body of clear candle material, for example, of wax or UNICLEAR material. The barrier is not combustible and prevents the outer body, as well as anything embedded in the outer body, from burning. Thus, the pillar candle has the outer appearance of a candle, but will not burn and change shape or design. In likewise fashion, the jar candle of the invention, that is a candle contained in a glass or other contained, may include decorative features which are protected from the heat of the burning wick, and which may even be advantageously illuminated by light from the candle flame.
The barrier material, when entirely clear, becomes essentially invisible inside the outer candle body when the fuel inside the barrier is also clear. The material used for the barrier is selected for a melt point that is higher than the temperature of heat generated by the flame of the core candle. In particular, the material may be a plastic which softens at 190xc2x0 C., is pliable at 200xc2x0 C. and melts at about 210xc2x0 C. A preferred material for the barrier is polycarbonate.
The shape of the barrier may be varied to control the burn of the core candle. The barrier may taper toward the bottom, for example, rather than being a straight-sided cylinder or have another cross-sectional shape.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pillar or jar candle having a flame barrier having a design painted or otherwise included onto one of the barrier surfaces and surrounded by a relatively clear outer candle shell. A paper or other translucent wrapping around the outer shell acts like a screen for receiving a projected image from the barrier pattern by light from the inner core as the candle burns. Light from the flame is projected through the unpainted or clear portions of the barrier onto the paper wrapping on the outer shell.
The barrier is preferably a clear plastic material which permits light to pass through. The design which is projected onto the paper screen is formed by painted opaque portions of ink or paint preferably on the outer surface of the barrier (away from the flame) and unpainted clear portions. UNICLEAR ETPS is a preferred material for the outer shell since light from the flame can pass through the clear unpainted portions of the barrier and through the shell while the opaque portions block the light. As the candle burns down, more light or more of the design will be apparent. If the inner core candle is transparent or translucent as well, the design is projected by light from the flame passing through the inner core to the barrier even before the core burns down.
Clear plastic material was found particularly suitable as the barrier since it was sufficiently impervious to a flame burning at the inner core to protect the outer structures of the candle. It was found that if glass was used as the barrier, the glass material retained too much heat from the flame causing the outer structures to slump and deform. This adverse effect did not occur when plastic was used as the barrier.
The candle of the invention does not have any air gaps between layers; each layer is in direct contact with the adjacent layer. The invention takes advantage of the transparent properties of the candle materials used to project the image from the barrier between the inner core candle and outer shell.
As noted, a preferred barrier is made of polycarbonate or the barrier may be polyester. In an alternate embodiment, the design is painted onto the inner surface of the barrier as a negative image. The inner core candle is placed or poured inside the painted barrier and then surrounded by a pour of UNICLEAR ETPA. An opaque wax can be used to cover the top edges of the layers to give the appearance of a conventional pillar candle. The outside is then covered with the paper or other wrap that has been treated with a fire retardant coating and glued in place. The wrap may be applied directly to the rigid outer surface of the pillar candle of the invention, or onto or inside a glass or other clear container for the jar candle of the invention.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.